Automobile jacks come in varying sizes and shapes. They can be simple little lift jacks for changing a tire on the side of the road or heavy industrial jacks for working on trucks in an automobile garage. They also come in different shapes. Some are simple hand pump jacks and some are more sophisticated hydraulic jacks. What is certain is that at some point every automobile will at some point need to be jacked up whether it is to work on the engine, transmission, muffler or tires.
The most common types of jacks that are carried in the car are for the purpose of changing a tire. Unfortunately, flat tires do not happen during ideal times or under ideal circumstances. They can happen in the dark of night or during the light of day. Sometimes, they even happen during rain and snow storms. Typically, the automobile jack that comes with a car is designed to hook to the bumper or under the edge of car and then is hand pumped to move the car upward and downward. Unfortunately, this type of jack does not lend itself well to hilly conditions or dark conditions. Therefore, if one needed to jack their automobile up in the dark, the are left trying to find a proper spot to hook the jack in the dark. If the jack in not properly installed, then the risk of the automobile falling or the jack tearing up something is greatly increased.
Other automobile jack alternatives include those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,813. In this configuration, the automobile is equipped with a jack system having a plurality of spaced jacks mounted to the vehicle and a hydraulic line connecting pistons included in the jacks so that when pressurized fluid is delivered to the pump a portion will extend and engage with the ground causing the vehicle to raise.
Another alternative is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,083. This particular configuration includes a base plate which is pivotable and therefore allows the jack to be short enough for stowing purposes or getting under low spots of a vehicle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,237 another vehicle jack is described. This patent describes a jack structure wherein a rigid housing includes a plurality of stacked pneumatic bags within the housing where the stack pneumatic bags are arranged for selective inflation by use of a pneumatic compressor.
While there are number of jacks on the market there are not a lot of different types of jack stands. Jack stands are used to support an object once it has been lifted to the desired height. By using a jack stand, the jack can be removed or used in another position. However, neither the jack or the jack stand are capable of providing any source of light which is beneficial for not only working on a vehicle but particularly important for changing a tire in the dark.